English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology

Etymology — The origins of English words

Where do words come from? Trace the origin and history of any English word, from its Latin, Greek or Old English roots through to its modern meaning. Every etymology is sourced.

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From French beau mont, meaning "beautiful hill".

From "poof," an earlier slur for a gay man, plus the agent suffix "-er."

Built from Greek mast- ("breast") plus -ectomy ("surgical removal").

A compound of state (in the sense of "the United States") and side.

Built from Ancient Greek gêras ("old age") plus the ending -iatric, seen also in "paediatric."

From "porter" (the dark beer) plus "house" — these pubs later became known for the steak cut named after them.

Invented in the early 1700s by the writer Jonathan Swift as a pet name for his friend Esther Vanhomrigh — he took "Van" from her surname and added "-essa." The name later attached to the butterfly genus as well.

Contraction of Teresa.

Borrowed from German Tess, a variant of Tesch.

A clipped form of "Natasha."

A Slavic diminutive form derived ultimately from Greek Sophia, meaning "wisdom."

The feminine form of Simon, filtered through Italian and French.

An Irish form ultimately derived from the same root as "Jane" and "Joan," tracing back to the Hebrew name behind "John."

An anglicised form of Irish Siobhán, ultimately from the same root as "Joan" and "Jane" via Old French and Medieval Latin Johanna.

From the Latin word serena, meaning "serene" or "calm," also linked to an early Christian saint of that name.

From Old French assessour, from Latin assessor ("assistant judge, tax assessor").

From fond + -ling.

From Latin post ('after') and partum ('having given birth'), from pario ('to bring forth').

Simply play + date — a date set aside for playing.

Borrowed from Hindi दीदी (dīdī), meaning "elder sister," used as a term of respect.

From Spanish Tula, from Classical Nahuatl Tōllān (“place of bulrushes”), from tōllin (“bulrush”) + -tlān.

Formed from the verb "say" plus the agent suffix "-er," meaning "one who does the action."

A casual variant spelling of "papa".

From poor + house.